don't come monday

Picture:  winnod

In the last 4 years I have witnessed more people get sacked, than in my entire life. It happened again yesterday to a colleague I had befriended.   In the last few years I have seen this occur in another 3 workplaces I've been in.




Reasons why colleagues have been given the flick include:

• a restructure of the organisation has eliminated your position
• your performance has not been up to scratch
• you did the wrong thing and can no longer continue working here
• other people have complained about you

As an observer and friend of those poor people who get the big "DCM" message, I find it very upsetting and heart-wrenching to watch.  

When I was 17, I worked 4 hours a day in a donut shop, serving customers.  One day I made the fatal mistake of giving away a donut to a favourite customer.  It was worth 15 cents.  I shouldn't have done it.  But I did. At that age I hadn't worked out the boundary between accepting money from friends for tiny amounts and I felt stingy if I charged them, for some stupid reason.  

Anyhoo, the boss (who had just taken over the shop 2 days earlier and systematically sacked all the existing staff for trivial reasons, and then promptly employed his own daughters) jumped on me immediately.  He angrily accused me of dishonesty and stealing money from the till and told me to, "Get your apron off and get out."  I was sacked on the spot.  

At 17 I meekly did as I was told.  I took my apron off, collected my things and left.  Even though I was only 17, I knew something really awful had just happened.  I fought back tears while travelling home on the train.  I felt shocked and upset. But I also felt ashamed along with a little bit shaky and teary.  I began to berrate myself.  I HAD given away that donut and I shouldn't have.  Why didn't I do this, or that?  If only I had charged the customer. That guy had been watching me, just waiting to sack me.  And I have NEVER stolen money from the till! 

What do you think? 

Was my sacking really about the donut, 

or something else? 

Business and management have come a long way over the past 20 years or so. And I'm sure that with all the Industrial Relations laws in our country now that a manager who sacks someone would never sack a person in order to avoid dealing with their own inadequacies as a manager.  They just wouldn't do that.


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Nope. They wouldn't.


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Would they?
What do you think?  Have you ever been given the "DCM" talk?  What were the circumstances involved?